Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hervey Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Hervey Bay: $2,395 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Hervey Bay
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Hervey Bay Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Hervey Bay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Hervey Bay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Hervey Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,395 in Hervey Bay.

Austin, TX $2,663
Hervey Bay $2,395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,441 in Hervey Bay.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hervey Bay $3,441

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,487 in Hervey Bay.

Austin, TX $5,603
Hervey Bay $4,487

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 11% more expensive than in Hervey Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Hervey Bay 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.74 A$25.52

17.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$70.4 A$101

20.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.71 A$15.42

15.03%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.72 A$5.35

51.34%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.89 A$4.17

28.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.28 A$3.29

9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.82 A$8.38

38.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$8.27 A$11.90

8.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.61 A$2.32

-30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.62 A$3.76

43.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.23 A$3.21

46.19%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.87 A$7.00

-14.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.25 A$13.31

39.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.04 A$13.01

56.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.11 A$20.31

14.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.15 A$5.97

4.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.09 A$4.45

-52.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.88 A$4.15

56.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.94 A$7.11

-12.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.86 A$4.11

-9.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.35 A$3.38

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.29 A$3.29

-22.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.23 A$1.78

80.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$37.81 A$54.4

-73.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.31 A$17.72

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$5.17 A$7.44

-43.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$5.13 A$7.38

-32.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.95 A$4.24

-49.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$78.8 A$113

-47.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.03 A$4.35

-9.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.78 A$2.56

-6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$41.31 A$59.4

-14.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 A$2.09

-34.48%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.9K A$38.7K

33.98%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.1K $27.1K

$28.4K A$40.9K

-4.77%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$229 $229

$159 A$229

44.08%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.4 $59.4

$25.97 A$37.37

128.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$59.6 A$85.8

17.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$58.1 A$83.6

-1.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$19.78 A$28.46

-17.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$17.66 A$25.41

-19.14%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,506 $1,506

$1,949 A$2,804

-22.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.3K A$17.7K

74.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$62.2 A$89.5

-15.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$44.70 A$64.3

-1.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$61.9 A$89.1

36.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$62.2 A$89.5

65.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,391 A$2,001

37.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,206 A$1,736

5.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,157 A$3,104

69.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,825 A$2,627

39.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,692 A$8,191

33.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,053 A$7,271

-37.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,791 A$4,016

83.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.81

16.87%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hervey Bay: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Hervey Bay

$1.2K 50.4% 5.3% $68

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Hervey Bay

$359 15% 11.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Hervey Bay

$245 10.2% 31.8% $114

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Hervey Bay

$285 11.9% 19.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Hervey Bay

$104 4.3% 18.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Hervey Bay

$93 3.9% 8.9% $7.6

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Hervey Bay

$103 4.3% 74.7% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,391 in Hervey Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 83% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $70.0 in Hervey Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $359 per month, with Hervey Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Hervey Bay

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

07:08 7:08 AM

15 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

57,722

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hervey Bay 13,160 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hervey Bay

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Hervey Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hervey Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hervey Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 83% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,391 in Hervey Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,395 in Hervey Bay – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hervey Bay runs roughly 89% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,395 in Hervey Bay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hervey Bay but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hervey Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Hervey Bay are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hervey Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.